What are learning spaces?

MANY of our school buildings have been destroyed by typhoons and earthquakes. Let us consider transforming unused physical space to learning spaces as some solution — learn from Unesco's "learning spaces." Unesco reports there are 771 million illiterates in the world, 6 million of whom are our countrymen from age 5. (https://mb.com.ph › 2022/ 09/06 › prioritize-literacy-of-) Unesco's creative idea of transforming non-classroom venues to learning spaces responds to our lack of classrooms including for the Alternative Learning System (ALS). It also aligns with the inclusiveness theme of Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goal 4 — Quality Education — "No child left behind."

Boost literacy education. International Literacy Day last September 8 was celebrated by organizations such as the Library Associations and the Deaprtment of Education's Internationalization Cooperation Office (ICO). Students, employees and retired professionals volunteered to tutor children and adults in reading and writing in their communities. There were book characters parade in schools. Books were donated to libraries. We literates having gone far in our respective professions may not be aware how difficult life would be in being unable to read and write. We may not realize that reading and writing are essential not only when we are at work or when our expertise is solicited. Both are daily life essentials from waking time to bedtime. Being illiterate "is challenging, a blockade for experiencing so many things." (http://national today.com ›international-literacy-day) To add leaning space to teach reading and writing to the millions of illiterates, Unesco has produced transforming venues to learning spaces.